


Smoothing Over

by Higuchimon



Category: Digimon Adventure Zero Two | Digimon Adventure 02, Digimon Adventure tri.
Genre: Diversity Writing Challenge, Gen, Memory Alteration
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-02
Updated: 2020-12-02
Packaged: 2021-03-09 17:47:16
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27820234
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Higuchimon/pseuds/Higuchimon
Summary: Jun feels horrible, her head throbbing, and is half-convinced that there’s something missing in her apartment. Only nothing’s there that shouldn’t be and nothing’s gone that should be there – that she remembers.
Comments: 2
Kudos: 8





	Smoothing Over

**Title:** Smoothing Over  
**Characters:** Jun, Momoe, Chizuru  
**Chapter:** 1-1|| **Words:** 2,367  
**Genre:** Angst, Suspense|| **Rated:** G  
**Challenges:** Diversity Writing: Digimon Adventure 02: alternate/divergent timelines: E3, 1-shot w/no dividers  
**Notes:** This is roughly in the Tri timeline but somewhat alternate in the sense of memories being fiddled with, bonds being broken carelessly, and people who should have actually _shown up_ being the focus characters (Right, Daisuke and Miyako vanish and their siblings just waft off into the ether not caring.) Ahem. No, I’m not bitter. Really.  
**Summary:** Jun feels horrible, her head throbbing, and is half-convinced that there’s something missing in her apartment. Only nothing’s there that shouldn’t be and nothing’s gone that should be there – that she remembers.

* * *

Something wasn’t right. Jun wasn’t certain what it was, but she knew that something had changed and it had done so all but overnight. Tiny memories of whatever it was flickered through her thoughts, nothing lasting long enough for her to be sure of what they were – only vague impressions. Impressions of a pair of large blue eyes staring up at her, of a different pair of eyes and a laugh that annoyed her and reminded her of home at the same time. None of those stuck around long enough for her to truly say she _remembered_ them from one moment to the next. But just long enough for her to be aware and uneasy.

She pushed the food around on her plate and raised her head to stare across the table, lips parting to ask if she were the only one to feel this way.

Only there wasn’t anyone there. She sat alone at the small table in her tiny dining area.

Of course there wasn’t. She was twenty years old – she lived alone in her apartment, far closer to her college than her parents’ apartment. Who else would be here?

And she’d been _glad_ to get out on her own. She loved her parents and she loved being an only child but she reveled in this freedom. There shouldn’t be anything unusual at all about not being there, about being free and able to do what she wanted, when she wanted. Sure, she had classes at the university and she and – she and -

Sharp pains began to shoot through her head, and Jun pushed her plate aside to lay her head down on the table, hoping that they’d ease up. This had been happening more often lately. Elec – someone had been worried about her.

She grappled after the name, but it slipped out of her hands, and the way her head thudded only increased, until she stopped trying. It left a lot better not to even think about it. Maybe not to even think at all.

 _Maybe I should go back to bed._ That wasn’t such a bad idea. Her head throbbed and something inside of her throbbed and there seemed to be the faintest hint of unease that she couldn’t shake. If she’d been able to put it into words, she might have thought that someone called her name. But she heard nothing.

Slowly she stumble to her feet and cast a brief glance around the room. Everything seemed as good as she’d left it the night before. Nothing really seemed off – except everything, in a way that she couldn’t understand or really get a mental fix on. There was an empty corner in the bedroom. Hadn’t he had a cushion or a bed there?

No, why would she? She didn’t have any pets. She’d never been fond of dogs and she’d never met a cat that she really liked – and she wasn’t sure if her lease would allow one in the first place. They’d argued about Ele – another sharp stab through her head and Jun almost fell down, gasping in pain.

What was that name? She came so close and every time she felt it within the reach of her thoughts, that sharp stabbing pain tore through her, preventing her from remembering it. Preventing her from even wanting to remember it, because remembering hurt so very much.

She managed to get on the bed and shoved her head under the pillow, blocking out the light that seared into her head. She hoped she’d be able to fall asleep soon.

Perhaps she did. She wasn’t ever certain. But at some point later, the light wasn’t as harsh and the annoying sound of Momoe’s ringtone jangled for her attention. Slowly she grabbed for the phone and mumbled.

“This better be good. What did I _drink_ last night?” She didn’t drink all that often but had she had something at all? That might have contributed to her condition right now.

Momoe let out a heavy sigh. “No idea, but I probably had some of it. My head’s been throbbing all day and things are just _weird_.”

Jun rubbed her forehead. The headache had eased off a little, though she could still feel it waiting to pounce on her again.

“You have _no idea_ ,” she groaned, leaning back and considering burying her head under the pillows. She doubted it would do anything to help but she’d never know if she didn’t try.

Momoe made a commiserating noise before she sighed deeply. “I keep wondering if I’ve forgotten something. There’s nothing _missing_ ; I’ve checked for all of my stuff, but sometimes – sometimes -”

Jun frowned slowly. “Sometimes it’s like you turn around and what you expected to be there isn’t – only there isn’t anything that should have been there.”

She could all but see Momoe jerking up at her words. “Yeah. That's it exactly. You too?”

“It’s been going on since yesterday, at least.” Jun draped her free hand over her forehead. “Did we catch something? Is there anything going around?”

She could hear the faint sound of Momoe’s fingers tapping. “I don’t know for sure. But – Chizuru is feeling the same way.” A brief hesitant. “No one else I know about. But – I keep feeling like I should ask someone else.”

Jun worried at her lip. “Who?”

“I don’t know.” Momoe sighed. “I hate feeling like this. It’s like something huge is missing but no one else knows about it and I don’t know what it _is_ , just that it’s not there and it _should_ be.”

Jun could not have agreed more. She winced as her head throbbed again. “Maybe we should all get together and try to take notes or something? Maybe then we can figure it out.”

It would almost be like when they were kids again, making plans to go to a concert together. They’d done that a lot – though or the life of her, Jun couldn’t remember any of the bands they’d gone to see. She vaguely remembered the fact they’d gone to concerts, but which ones?

Meh, it couldn’t be that important. Concerts three years ago, or more, with bands that had probably broken up already, weren’t as important as figuring out why all three of them felt as if they’d spent way too many nights out on the town, when they clearly hadn’t.

“That sounds like a good idea. I’ll grab her and we’ll come over,” Momoe promised. “Be there soon.”

Jun bid farewell, breaking the connection, and dragged herself more firmly under her pillow. She knew she should get up, wash her fae, and get ready or her guests, but she didn’t. All she wanted to do was stay where she was and possibly fall back asleep.

_He’d call me lazy..._

The thought floated through her head, there and gone in a second, leaving behind only the faintest impression. She didn’t even know who the ‘he’ might be. She’d admired a lot of guys over the years, but she’d never been close to any of them..

The faintest flicker of cinnamon red hair just like her own danced through her head, vanishing when she tried to grab it, and in moments she didn’t even remember she’d thought about that in the first place.

Slowly she dragged herself to her feet and made her way out of the bedroom. Momoe and Chizuru didn’t live that far away so they’d be there soon. She managed to get drinks ready, then flopped down on the coach and waited. Almost as soon as she did, her mind more or less blanked out, only somewhat aware of the passage of time.

When the knock came she remembered she had to pull herself up and unlock the door. She cursed herself for not remembering to do so before she sat down, even as she made her way over.

Momoe and Chizuru greeted her as she let them in. Neither of them looked much better than she did right now. Chizuru looked as if she’d just managed to get a shower before they came over, but her hair was still limp and lifeless, while Momoe wore her glasses instead of her contacts – she’d gotten the contacts just a year earlier but Jun had almost forgotten what she looked like with them all.

“Hey,” she greeted with a nod, closing the door. “I got drinks.” She waved one hand towards her fridge. “I’d ask how you’re doing but it’s pretty obvious.”

Momoe nodded as she took a seat. “Glad we didn’t have to walk for too long. I just feel _horrible_.”

Chizuru brought their drinks over and settled down next to her sister. “So do I. I think Mantarou has a touch of whatever it is too but he wasn’t answering his phone.” A vague frown flickered over her lips. “I – I thought I was going to call someone else and ask them but I couldn’t remember who I wanted to ask.”

Jun leaned her head back. “It’s – it’s -” She knew she should know this. They had most of the same friends, if not all of them. But none of the names she could think of seemed _right_. Slowly she shook her head. “Don’t know.”

Momoe supped at her drink. “So if we can’t remember, then what do we do?”

Jun didn’t have the faintest idea. Planning hadn’t ever been her strong suit. She thought she was better at it than she’d been a few years earlier but this wasn’t something she had any experience with. No one she knew did.

“It’s probably nothing,” Chizuru said at last, drinking her dink. “If it were really something, then wouldn’t everyone be feeling it?” She tapped her fingers on her drink can. “I mean, what are we really feeling? Headaches.”

“Lack of energy,” Momoe added.

Jun nodded. “And kind of feeling like things aren’t – right.”

“But they are right,” Chizuru pointed out. Jun knew that she intended to study psychology or psychiatry or something like that when she got to college. Sounded like she was getting an early start. “If we were missing something, we’d really _see it_. It wouldn’t be a feeling. There’d be gaps in places that aren’t there.”

Jun considered that for a few minutes. Her headache eased up enough so she could do that, for which she found herself quite grateful. _I think she’s right._ Jun wanted her to be right. She wanted this headache to pass, all of these bad feelings to pass, and to have everything back the way that it should be.

But somewhere in the very back of her mind, the faintest hint of a whisper said that things weren’t right and they weren’t going to be right until - until – she didn’t know. But wasn’t sure what was wrong or how to fix it or even if she could fix it.

Slowly she leaned her head back. From this angle she could see the place where she’d vaguely thought a cushion might fit. Maybe she’d get one, if she wanted one there so badly.

A nice reddish-brown one, like – like -

Jun winced, pressing one hand to the side of her face. Words choked in her throat and she swallowed hard, straining for anything that might make sense. So far as she could tell, neither Momoe nor Chizuru noticed anything out of the ordinary.

Then, almost at once, the headache passed. For the first time in a day and a half, she could actually think clearly. She raised her head to look at her friends, who also looked as if they felt better.

She couldn't remember just why they’d come over, but she liked having them there regardless.

“Hey, are there any good concerts in town? Let’s hit one up, for old time’s sake,” she suggested. Chizuru brightened.

“That sounds like a good idea. I think Knife of Day is playing this weekend.”

Jun started to open her mouth to agree. She thought she liked Knife of Day – then she stopped and shook her head.

“No, not them.” Her nose crinkled. “They’re not what I’m in the mood for.”

Truth to tell, she couldn’t even remember what they looked like or what kind of music they played. There was just a strong feeling that she didn’t want to go there and see them. Maybe another time.

Chizuru shrugged. “Got anyone else in mind?”

“What about Imagination Moment?” Momoe suggested. “They’re getting pretty popular and they’ve got a great sound.”

Jun couldn’t remember having heard them before. That already made it interesting. She thought about digging her old autograph book out and seeing if she had nay space left in it – if it were still around. Had she even remembered to pack it when she left home?

Meh, it didn’t matter. She’d rather enjoy the music than squeal over the musicians these days. She wasn’t a teenager anymore.

“They’ve got Hush Dream opening for them,” Chizuru said, a smile flickering over her lips. “They’re _amazing_.”

Now Hush Dream she _had_ heard and seeing them live had been on her to-do list for a while. Especially now that she actually felt like going out instead of stuffing her head under a pillow.

“All right, let’s figure out when we’re going to go,” Jun said, brightening up. Whatever had been going on, it had passed now, and everything already started to look so much better.

The prospect of a concert and perhaps a meal out with her friends cheered her up even more. If there was anything missing – and everything Chizuru said meant that there couldn’t be – then it would just have to take care of itself.

Somewhere in her deepest heart, so deep that Jun couldn’t see it and wasn’t even aware of it right now, a tiny emotion twitched. Perhaps it was grief. Perhaps it was something else – loneliness, the reaching for a companion lost and unable to be found.

And somewhere else, somewhere where she and her friends couldn’t see, held in the grip of those who cared nothing for the bonds they broke so long as it served their preferred means, five small devices beeped ever so faintly, their light faded away, and five eggs quivered into silence.

* * *

**Notes:** Back before Tri and Kizuna, there was an audio drama released in 2003 that stated Jun, Momoe, Chizuru, and Shuu were now Chosen. But along with so much else, it seems Tri decided that hadn't happened. But that's too much fun for me to just leave. So I decided that their memories got erased and their partners - and all memories of their siblings and those partners - were removed. The same goes for Iori and Ken's parents, except without the Digimon partners.

The five Digivices/eggs belong to Jun, Momoe, Chizuru, Kido Shuu, and someone I haven't decided on yet. Might end up being an OC, if I continue this rather bitter angsty storyline. Time will tell - and interest. Also, I haven't decided if this is a breeds AU or not. It could go either way.


End file.
